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Product name: Cowin E7 Active Noise Cancellation Bluetooth Headphones Manufacturer: Cowin Audio. USA Cost: 90. 79.56 Can.(Currency conversion) (YMMV)

Reviewer: Roger McCuaig. TNT Canada Reviewed: February, 2019

Introduction

Cowin was founded in 2006 and produces headphones, earphones and speakers. All orders from North America are shipped from China so one can assume that’s where the manufacturing takes place. The Cowin web site has a lot of information on their products as well as an online store. It is also possible to purchase Cowin product via Amazon.

Product Info

The readers should note that the E7 model that was received for review is not the same as the one presently shown on the Cowin web site. It took a very long time for the review set to arrive, probably due to the rotating strikes by Canada Post employees that started just as the headphones were shipped. So it appears that during that time Cowin has put out a revised design. The new version has different surface finishes and appears to have a raised control pad on the side. My inquiry to Cowin on these changes has gone without response so there is no way to know if any changes were made that would influence the sound or operation of the unit! This review has presumed that the changes were limited to cosmetic items.

The look and feel of this product leaves a first impression of quality. The unit arrives in a sharp looking, heavy grade black cardboard box. The box got a bit banged up during its long stay with the post office but there was no harm done to the contents. Opening the box, the first surprise was to find a nice semi-rigid black storage case; something that was not expected at this price level. The case contained the headphones, a USB cable for charging the unit, an AUX cable for hardwired use, an instruction booklet and a VIP card for online registration and a Free Gift. The free gift appears to be a warranty extension to 18 months.

The headphones look and feel solid without being very heavy. The ear cushions are soft and comfortable and sit well over the ears. The headband is wide and well padded with a length adjustment on both left and right sides which this reviewer has always preferred to the one-sided adjustment style. Overall the E7 is quite light and comfortable. The micro USB charging port and the power LED are on the left headphone. The right headphone carries the AUX socket, the OFF-BT-NC switch, the Bluetooth status light and a control pad. The control pad is a pie-shaped touch pad with a plus and minus(-) sign on the opposing outer corners. A touch on these corners changes the track whereas holding down the same points adjusts the volume.

Listening Test

Connecting the headphones to a bluetooth source was quite quick and simple. It only takes the E7 about 3 or 4 seconds to recognize a bluetooth source and pair to it. Typically I was able to hold on to source up to about 10 metres. Farther than that caused skips. One thing to remember is that when powered on, the headphones will automatically reconnect to the last source used if it is still running. So, unless you only have one Bluetooth source it is wise to always hit the Disconnect button on your source when finished using the headphones. The Plus-Minus control pad has a completely smooth surface and, given that operating these touch points is done blind with the headphones on, it would have been nice to have some sort of locating aid like the little bumps on the F and J keys on my keyboard. Not a big deal but searching for the /- keys was a frequent activity. As mentionned above, the new photos on the Cowin web site appear to show a raised triangular control pad.

The E7 was tested using music from several sources, none of which would be considered Audiophile quality music streaming. The devices used included a Lenovo laptop, a Dell desktop PC, my wife’s Samsung tablet and my LG cell phone. The E7 headphones performed very well in NC (Noise Cancellation) mode. The sound was clean and crisp. The full fequency spectrum was present however some might find the bass response a bit weak. To further test the bass response several tracks from Charlie Haden and Charles Mingus albums were played. The bass output was found to be quite adequate for this listener, although certainly not at a level that would be considered big bass. The bass is considerably bigger when NR is OFF. This listener found the BT setting (Noise Cancellation Off) pushed much too much bass and not at all balanced with the rest of the music. Also, in this mode, there was a constant rumble in the background which did not appear to be ambient noise from the room but something generated in the headphones. Even with no music playing the E7 still produced a significant amount of low frequency noise in the BT position which completely disappeared when switched to NR Mode. It is possible that the E7 was designed with the intention that it would seldom be used in BT mode!

The Noise Cancellation feature did an adequate job at blanking out ambient noise. It didn’t completely filter out things like my wife talking on the phone in the same room but did render it sufficiently unobtrusive. The play time between battery charging is stated as a whopping 30 hours. Nobody likes to pick up something and discover that the battery is dead so a long battery life is a definite advantage. During the several weeks of using the E7 headphones there was not a single incident of having to wait for a recharge.

Conclusions

Overall the sound was quite good in NC mode and certainly can be considered excellent for this price range. The NC system doesn’t filter out all noise however consider that this type of headphone was never destined to serve as a audiophile experience. If that is what you are looking for take off the noise cancellation headphones and go to a quiet room to listen to your favorite music. Operation with the noise cancellation turned off was found to produce a lot of low frequency rumble as well as too much bass and this mode should be ignored. The Cowin E7 headphones are solidly built, light weight, comfortable, easy to connect and provide a clean balanced full range sound. A significant achievement for under 80. How do they do it?

DISCLAIMER. TNT-Audio is a 100% independent magazine that neither accepts advertising from companies nor requires readers to register or pay for subscriptions. After publication of reviews, the authors do not retain samples other than on long-term loan for further evaluation or comparison with later-received gear. Hence, all contents are written free of any “editorial” or “advertising” influence, and all reviews in this publication, positive or negative, reflect the independent opinions of their respective authors. TNT-Audio will publish all manufacturer responses, subject to the reviewer’s right to reply in turn.

Cowin E7 Review: Pros Cons and Verdict

Quality is everything. There are a few things in life where you cannot sacrifice quality for price, and it would be better to save up than to buy a cheaper model. Headphones are one of those things.

They’re a good investment in the long run and many people prefer to save up for decent headphones and enjoy years of superior sound instead of settling for cheap headphones and dealing with tinny sound until the headphones inevitably break.

However, sometimes it’s not possible to save up first. Life gets in the way, and we need headphones at an affordable price. Have no fear! There are plenty of models out there that aren’t just affordable, they’re high-quality as well. In other words, you can have your cake and eat it too.

Cowin is a popular brand that has drawn many customers from around the world with their headphones. They’re bestsellers on Amazon and consistently receive rave reviews. However, how different are their two most popular models? We’ve decided to pit the Cowin E7 against the Cowin E7 Pro. Let’s see how they measure up.

How We Started

The Cowin E7 was released in December 2015. Bluetooth headphones, earphones and speakers have been rising in popularity for their wireless capabilities. No longer do users have to suffer catching the wire on the end of the door handle.

Unfortunately, cheap Bluetooth headphones break easily, and the sound quality was simply terrible. Bluetooth headphones which were durable and had a richer sound quality were usually over 100 which isn’t ideal either. Cowin made a plan and released the E7 which was just right. It was affordable and had some features that the more expensive models had.

In 2018, the Cowin E7 Pro was released. Better sound quality was promised but the price had a lot of people feeling skeptical. We have compared these two headphones to see what changed and if it’s worth getting the upgrade.

The COWIN E7 Noise Cancelling Headphones have satisfied hundreds of thousands of consumers with the great sound quality, deep powerful bass, comfortable protein ear pads, long playtime, and advanced active noise cancelling technology.

Advantages and Disadvantages

First, we discuss the pros and cons. Both the Cowin E7 and the Cowin E7 Pro have been marketed as affordable headphones. That being said, it would be reasonable to expect that its features would be good, perhaps great to some, but not perfect.

Cowin E7

The first headphone set we’ll evaluate is the Cowin E7.

Active noise cancellation

Plastic finishes aren’t very appealing

These are the advantages and disadvantages of the Cowin E7 headphones. While it has some strong aspects, it also has a few shortcomings, too.

Cowin E7 Pro

Now, let’s take a look at Cowin’s upgraded release, the E7 Pro.

Better noise cancellation

Larger drives for better audio output

The material used is still plastic

Here’s the pros and cons of the Cowin E7 Pro. In terms of capabilities and performance, it exceeds its predecessor but still deals with its own problems.

Similarities and Differences

The Cowin E7 Pro is an upgraded version of the Cowin E7. For the most part, not a lot has changed. Fully charged, both can last to about 30 hours. The Cowin E7 and Cowin E7 Pro are also equipped with active noise cancellation which in this day and age are a necessity for some.

The default color for both these Bluetooth headphones are black but for those who are willing to spend a little bit more, there is a wide array of colors to choose from. However, color choices for the Cowin E7 and the Cowin E7 Pro may vary. Simply put, some color choices that the Cowin E7 has may not be available for the Cowin E7 Pro and vice versa.

The Cowin E7, is priced at 59.99 at its default color. Should the user choose other colors, the price rises to 69.99.

The Cowin E7 Pro is slightly more expensive at 89.99 at its default color. For 94.99 the user can choose another color for their headphones. This is where it gets pricey, but the headphones are still under 100.

The original Cowin E7 is equipped with noise reduction up to 28db. The Cowin E7 Pro improved on this and bumped it up to 30db. In this case, using the Cowin E7 Pro would be more ideal for someone who either lives, works or commutes in an area where there is a lot of background noise.

Looking at appearances, the design had not changed much but for one detail. The Cowin E7 Pro looks bulkier. Furthermore, to make the headphones more aesthetically pleasing, they decided to change one design feature of the Cowin E7 Pro. Despite that, the Cowin E7 Pro is more lightweight compared to the original model. This is extremely helpful as there would be less cases of the headphones sliding off and straining the ears.

The Cowin E7 Pro has more battery power. Compared to the Cowin E7 which has 750 mAh, the Pro has it upgraded to 800 mAh.

One thing that is confusing is that the Cowin E7 is equipped with NFC. The newer, upgraded version, the Cowin E7 Pro, does not.

Why would this be an issue?

Well, Bluetooth is impressive, but it does require a lot of effort, especially in our time and age. Firstly, we would have to manually turn the headphones on. Then we would have to go to our devices, select the settings, locate the Bluetooth options, turn Bluetooth on, pair the devices (which does take quite some time on older devices) and then connect them to the headphones.

With NFC, a simple tap would connect the headphones to the phone. All we would have to do is make sure the phone is unlocked for security purposes. It may not seem like much, but it does save some time especially when in a rush.

In the Box

The Cowin E7 box contains, a pair of headphones, a micro USB cable, a 3.5mm audio cable, a user guide and a pouch to hold the headphones in.

The Cowin E7 Pro contains mostly the same accessories save for the headphones model and the case. The box contains a hard case with mesh s to carry the headphones and its accessories.

The hard case, unfortunately, takes up space. Carrying it would be impractical and it might have to be carried in a bag instead. However, compared to the Cowin E7 which came with a pouch, the hard case provides more protection for the headphones and accessories from accidents or the rain.

Design

It has been mentioned before that the Cowin E7 Pro looked a little bulkier than the Cowin E7. However, they are still the same size. Both headphones are 6.5 x 3.6 x 7.1 inches.

The Cowin E7’s build is plastic. Surely, this helped decrease the price but appearance-wise, it‘s not very appealing. The Cowin E7 Pro is also made from plastic which, provided the price, is a bit displeasing to some who wished for an improvement to the old model.

The earpads and headband for both the Cowin E7 and the Cowin E7 Pro are made of soft faux leather for comfort. Users have the option to adjust the headband to be able to make the headphones fit properly on their head.

On the earpieces, there are 2 indicators, each on the left and the right.

The on and off button is located on the right as well as the aux jack. The charging port is on the left side of the earpieces. The current Cowin E7 model is equipped with a 40mm driver aperture.

In the case of the Cowin E7 headphones, the button layout seems a bit cramped and located in the same area, which is kind of disappointing considering that they had a lot of space to work with. Pressing the wrong buttons by accident may be frequent and could be irritating to some. The button layout for the Cowin E7 Pro has been slightly spaced out but it’s not a major improvement.

As for the weight, the Cowin E7 is 13.6 oz. These headphones take up space as they aren’t foldable. However, the earpieces rotate about 90 degrees so that they can lay flat for easy storage.

The Cowin E7 Pro is the same size as the Cowin E7. However, as mentioned, it is bulkier so if these headphones were to be worn in public, it may look a little over the top but that’s not any real issue to most people.

Despite the bulkiness, compared to the Cowin E7, the weight has been reduced. It is only 10.6 oz and that ups the comfort factor. A lighter pair of headphones reduces strain on the user’s ears, which is especially noticed when the user wears the headphones for prolonged durations.

The Cowin E7 Pro headphones are still mostly made of plastic, which once again is displeasing to some users considering the price offered for these headphones, but there is one improvement to the overall appearance. The ear plates are no longer made from plastic like the previous model. Rather they were replaced with a brushed metal finish making the headphones look less tacky.

The same material for the ear pads and headband was used for both models. However, on the Cowin E7 Pro, the headband was made with extra padding for more comfort.

Indicators and buttons located on the left and right of the earpieces are the same for both models, so users who have experience with either of these models will be familiar with the layouts. The apertures of the Cowin E7 Pro have been improved from the Cowin E7.The aperture of 40 mm that the Cowin E7 has, is now 45mm for the newer Cowin E7 Pro model.

The Cowin E7 Pro’s earpieces still aren’t foldable but like the previous model. However, they rotate to lay flat and save some space.

The COWIN E7 Noise Cancelling Headphones have satisfied hundreds of thousands of consumers with the great sound quality, deep powerful bass, comfortable protein ear pads, long playtime, and advanced active noise cancelling technology.

Performance

Noise cancelling is pretty much the same for both. These headphones can reduce the smaller sounds that could disrupt listening. From the air-conditioning in rooms or in the office to the sound of the train, the Cowin E7 and E7 Pro do a great job in cancelling those everyday noises.

For the Cowin E7, the sound is good, but it isn’t the best. It would be fine for the more casual listener, but the more serious listeners may have a few issues with the balance of the highs and lows. However, these imbalances are quite subtle and can only be noticed after listening to a wide range of sounds.

The Cowin E7 Pro improves the sound balance. One such example of this improvement would be that there is low leakage. This is ideal for much quieter situations. Low leakage helps us keep our privacy either in the office or even in the doctor’s waiting room by supressing the sound coming from the headphones. Simply put, someone sitting next to you will not be able to hear what you are listening to.

As mentioned before, the Cowin E7 had 40mm large-driver apertures. The Cowin E7 Pro improved on that and made it bigger (45mm).

Why is This a Good Thing?

Larger apertures result in a wider frequency response, making the music sound fuller without the bass becoming overpowering. Still, that won’t magically make the sound quality perfect.

However, the sound can be improved through a manual adjustment on the in-built equalisers on your phones, should you have them, otherwise on the music apps that could be downloaded to the phone.

The nice thing about the Cowin E7 Pro is that they’re lighter than the Cowin E7. Even though the differences in weight may not be immediately noted, the effects of the reduced weight on the Cowin E7 Pro will end up straining the ears less than the Cowin E7 on prolonged usage. Additionally, it has a lighter impact on what you may carry daily.

Both headphones are well padded and comfortable. They are suited for long hours of wear but eventually they can get tiring. However, this is not much of a problem and only usually occurs in extreme situations where prolonged continuous listening exceeds a couple hours.

One thing that adds to the comfort of wearing both the Cowin E7 and the Cowin E7 Pro would be the snug fit. They will stay on whilst doing slow or stationary tasks such as cooking, desk work or even to more extreme cases, during a mild jog. However, they are not sport headphones so strenuous activity which require a lot of movements or even sudden movements may cause them to slide off.

The tight fit unfortunately doesn’t fit all head types, so certain users may experience discomfort, but the discomfort may not be felt immediately as the padding may cushion some of the tension that the snug fit exerts.

The Cowen E7 and E7 Pro do not have custom software available on the Appstore or the google Play store that allow you to customize your EQ settings and help with the troubleshooting of potential problems you may have with the pair of headphones. The user would have to instead use in-built equalisers should they seek a specific setting or download one from the Appstore or Google play store.

Battery Life and Connectivity

The Cowin E7 and the Cowin E7 Pro both could last up to 30 hours when fully charged. However, in the case of the Cowin E7 Pro, the battery power had been improved to 800 mAh thus pushing listening hours to a maximum of about 35 hours.

Unfortunately, recharge time is slow. One would expect the Cowin E7 Pro to improve on this feature seeing as it was released 3 years after the original Cowin E7.However, the Cowin E7 Pro unfortunately does not deliver to this and in the end both the Cowin E7 and Cowin E7 Pro takes ages to recharge.

To fully charge the batteries of both these headphones, it would take about 4 hours. One good thing is that the both the Cowin E7 and the Cowin E7 Pro can be used while charging, which increases the overall appeal to audiences who don’t want to wait for their devices to fully charge before using them.

As said previously, the Cowin E7 supports NFC thus making pairing easy. The Cowin E7 Pro does not have NFC which is one disadvantage as it’s supposed to be an upgrade to the previous E7 base model.

The Cowin E7 uses 4.0 Bluetooth. It’s a bit old and there are some better models on the market within the same price range that make use of an upgraded 4.2 Bluetooth. Thankfully, the Cowin E7 Pro improves on this and allows for a more stable and seamless connection.

Both headphones have the same Bluetooth range of about 40 to 50 feet, which is quite an impressive range for such an affordable pair of headphones. Furthermore, they can connect to most Bluetooth activated devices. It is recommended though, to use the headphones for mostly phones and tablets.

Connecting the headphones to a personal computer should work fine for music. However, should the user decide to watch movies or TV shows, they would notice that the audio tends to go out of sync unless the headphones were connected to the personal computer with the aux cable that comes with it.

Should the battery run out and the user is unable to charge the headphone, the aux cable that comes with both devices can be used to listen to music or watch movies and TV shows.

Who Should Get This?

Those who want a pair of headphones with quality but are either strapped for cash or are just seeking an alternative for daily use would benefit greatly from purchasing either the Cowin E7 or the Cowin E7 Pro. After all, the name Cowin often shows up when one searches for a low priced, quality Bluetooth headset.

These headphones are also suited for the more casual listeners, they would be content with the sound quality generated from these pair of headphones. There will be small impracticalities that would just end up irritating those who were looking for a richer sound quality.

Those looking for such quality would benefit investing in the more expensive models as the Cowin series are marketed as a cheaper headset and users are bound to get what they paid for.

However, it is noteworthy to mention that these headphones as advertised, do their job. They actively cancel outside noise and they provide a decent amount of bass and sound balance with regards to their price.

The Cowin E7 already has enough specifications for most things that listeners could look for and it’s impressive enough on its own.

Our Pick

As mentioned in the beginning, the goal was to search for a pair of headphones under 100. Pricewise, the Cowin E7 is the more affordable option. Even if the user would decide to spend extra for other colours, the Cowin E7’s price would still stay safely within budget.

The Cowin E7 Pro manages to stay under the 100 limit but just barely. In the end users will only be saving around 20 for the default black version and if they were to choose another colour they would only be able to save 5 which is not much.

In this aspect, the Cowin E7 wins.

As for sound quality, the Cowin E7 is decent. The bass is good, but nothing to write home about. Imperfections are subtle and only audiophiles or people with impeccable hearing will be able to detect it. The Cowin E7 Pro on the other hand, has slightly improved sound quality and balance.

However, because it’s still marketed as a pair of affordable headphones the quality will still stay within that price range.

In this case, it would still be better to choose the Cowin E7 instead.

When it comes to battery life, having an extra 5 hours would be helpful especially during long travel or when waiting. Low leakage is a great factor to consider. We may not be so willing to share our music preferences with strangers in public.

With this, the Cowin E7 Pro is preferrable.

The Cowin E7’s affordability, combined with its ease of usage and the fact that it has decent sound quality makes it one of the best, if not the best choice for a pair of entry level headphones. The Cowin E7 Pro would be best if the user would be willing to spend more money, but most could just consider breaching the 100 limit and just get a better model.

Cowin E7 Wireless Headphones Review

The Cowin E7 are budget noise cancelling headphones with a great wireless range but mediocre sound quality. They’re decent for most uses but tend to sound a little dark and muffled. On the upside, they have a moderately comfortable design, a long battery life, and block a decent amount of noise for commuting. Unfortunately, their budget price shows in their build quality, which feels a bit cheap at times.

Our Verdict

The Cowin E7 are passable for neutral listening. They have good bass and an average mid-range but lack a good treble performance, which makes them sound a bit dark and muffled. They also have a relatively narrow soundstage due to their closed-back, noise cancelling design. They won’t be the best headphones for neutral listening.

Decent for commuting. The Cowin E7 Wireless block enough noise for moderately loud environments. They don’t leak much and have a decent control scheme. However, they’re a bit bulky and are not the most portable headphones to carry around on your person.

The Cowin E7 are decent for sports. They’re wireless and have a tight fit on some listeners, which prevents them from easily falling off your head. However, they’re a bit bulky for running and working out. They’re also not as comfortable. They’re a bit more breathable than most over-ears, but will still make you sweat more than usual during intense exercises.

The Cowin E7 are okay for office use. They don’t leak much, at relatively high volumes so you won’t distract your colleagues. They also block a decent amount of ambient noise but may not be able to cancel out the chatter of a particularly lively office. Unfortunately, they’re not the most comfortable headphones to wear for really long and extended listening sessions.

The Cowin E7 aren’t recommended for gaming. Their latency is likely to be too high for wireless gaming, they’re not compatible with consoles via Bluetooth, and can’t be customized to the extent of other gaming headphones. They also have a mediocre-at-best integrated microphone.

The Cowin E7 are mediocre for use as a wired gaming headset. Although they have well-padded ear cups and are decently comfortable, the headband is rather short and won’t fit all head sizes. Latency shouldn’t be an issue when they’re used wired, and they have enough bass extension to produce deep thumps and rumbles. Their microphone is passable and recorded speech sounds understandable, but can come across thin and muffled.

The Cowin E7 are passable for making phone calls. Speech tends to sound thin and muffled but is still understandable. The microphone should be fine in a quiet setting, but it struggles to separate speech from background noise in a noisy environment.

• 6.1 Neutral Sound
• 6.8 Commute/Travel
• 6.8 Sports/Fitness
• 6.4 Office
• 4.9 Wireless Gaming
• 6.5 Wired Gaming
• 6.1 Phone Calls
• Updated Nov 18, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
• Updated Feb 06, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
• Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
• Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
• Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
• Updated Sep 28, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
• Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
• Updated Jul 18, 2017: Review published.

Compared To Other Headphones

The Cowin E7 are average mixed usage headphones thanks to their great wireless range, good battery life, and decent noise cancelling. However, they’re not the most comfortable pair of headphones compared to some of the other budget headphones we’ve reviewed. See our recommendations for the best headphones and the best-over ear headphones.

The Cowin E8 Wireless are better noise-canceling headphones than the Cowin E7. The E8 have a better noise canceling performance and are a bit more comfortable than the E7. They also have easier to use controls and a better-balanced sound overall. On the other hand, the E7 have more bass, which some listeners may prefer. They also have a longer battery life and support NFC, so they’re a bit easier to pair with your phone.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless are slightly better-mixed use headphones than the Cowin E7 Wireless. The Anker are quite a bit more comfortable, have better controls, feel better built, have a longer battery, and have much better ANC. On the other hand, the Cowin have a more balanced sound profile and lower overall latency.

The Mpow H10 Wireless are better headphones than the Cowin E7 Wireless. They are more comfortable to wear for long periods of time and the padding is very soft compared to the rigid one on the Cowin. The Cowin also have mediocre sound quality with heavy bass and treble that lacks a lot of detail. The Mpow also isolate more ambient noise and will be better suited for commuting. The only thing that the Cowin have over the Mpow is that their battery life is slightly longer, but it takes more time to charge. However, this doesn’t overcome the massive difference in sound quality.

The Anker SoundCore Life 2 Wireless are better headphones than the Cowin E7 Wireless. The Anker are noticeably more comfortable, have a slightly better-build, and their sound quality is also better and more accurate. On the other hand, the Cowin don’t get as hot as the Anker after use and don’t have an in-line microphone like the Anker. The Cowin’s build has a plastic feel, and their glossy finish is fingerprint-prone.

The Cowin E7 Pro Wireless are slightly better headphones overall than the Cowin E7 Wireless. The E7 Pro have a more balanced sound profile that favors instruments and vocals, compared to the E7 ‘s more bass-heavy sound. This makes the Pro variant a bit more suitable for fans of neutral sound. The E7 Pro also last a bit longer on a single charge than the regular E7. but take considerably longer to charge, too. On the other hand, the regular E7 performs almost as well in all other categories when compared to the Pro. The more bass-heavy profile also makes them a better pick for bass-lovers that want a noise cancelling wireless headset on a budget.

The Mpow H5 Wireless are better budget noise cancelling headphone than the Cowin E7 Wireless. The Cowin have a better noise cancelling performance and a longer battery life. The Cowin also have a lightly clearer mic and a better isolation performance overall, since they also leak a little less. On the other hand, the Mpow look and feel a bit more premium, have better and less confusing controls, and also have a more comfortable fit even if they’re a little tight on the head. The Mpow also have much better sound.

The TREBLAB Z2 Wireless are better headphones for mixed usage than the Cowin E7 Wireless. The TREBLAB feel more comfortable and durable, have easier-to-use controls, and support multi-device pairing. Their sound profile is also much better-balanced, with a much more accurate treble range. On the other hand, the Cowin last longer off a single charge and have a slightly better ANC feature, though neither headphones block very much background noise.

The Mixcder E9 Wireless are better headphones than the Cowin E7 Wireless. They are noticeably more comfortable, better built, and they offer a superior sound quality. The controls are also better, and the overall noise attenuation of the Mixcder is better than the Cowin. They also come with a nice hard case that protects the headphones better than the Cowin’s pouch. On the other hand, the Cowin offer more battery life and have NFC pairing, but that’s about it.

Test Results

The Cowin E7 look decently stylish; however, they’re a bit on the bulky side and their glossy finish picks up fingerprints and smudges easily.

The Cowin E7 are well-padded and decently comfortable headphones, but the headband doesn’t extend far enough to accommodate all head sizes. They’re relatively lightweight and the padding used for the ear cups and headband is soft, which reduces some of the clamping effect that these headphones have on some listeners. They’re not especially uncomfortable, but because the headband is rather short, they will feel a bit tight on larger heads. For a more comfortable budget headset, take a look at the Mpow H10 Wireless or the Anker SoundCore Life 2.

The button layout for the Cowin E7 feels a bit cramped but delivers good feedback. They have responsive and clicky buttons for volume control, call/music, and skipping tracks. They also have a dedicated switch to enable Bluetooth and noise cancelling. However, the cramped layout and the odd placement of the volume controls aren’t as intuitive and may take some time to get used to.

The Cowin E7 are decently breathable for an over-ear design. They’ll warm up your ears and make you sweat during more intense exercises, but you can listen to them for longer periods without being too bothered by the temperature difference. However, they won’t be the most ideal headphones for sports or long listening sessions. In this case, in-ears or open-back headphones would be better options.

The Cowin E7 aren’t particularly portable headphones. They’re fairly large and they can’t fold up to save space. The ear cups can lay flat, making them a bit more comfortable when resting the headphones around the neck.

The Cowin E7 come with a basic pouch that’ll protect the headphones against minor scratches but won’t shield them from impacts, drops, or water damage.

The Cowin E7 have an ordinary build quality that feels a bit cheap. The headband is well constructed with a metal frame for reinforcement. However, the plastic used for the ear cups feels low grade and a bit cheap. They shouldn’t break from a few falls, but the ear cups and hinges don’t feel as durable as the more recent Cowin SE7 Wireless or even some of the other budget headphones we’ve reviewed in this price range.

These headphones are decently stable. They have a relatively tight fit on some heads, which means they won’t move a lot during casual listening sessions and even a mild jog. However, they’re not sports headphones. Due to their bulk and size, they still sway a lot during strenuous activities, so they won’t be the most ideal headphones for running or working out. On the upside, they’re wireless, so they won’t get yanked off your head because the cable got hooked on something.

• Cowin E7 headphones
• Carrying pouch
• Audio cable
• USB cable
• Manual

The Cowin E7 have a dark sound. The over-emphasis in the high-bass and low-mid introduces some muddiness, and there’s a sharp dip in the high-mid and low-treble, making vocals and leads sound farther away and less detailed.

The frequency response consistency is great. The Cowin showed very little variance in bass delivery across our five human subjects. This could be due to their noise cancelling system, similar to what we noticed with the Bose QuietComfort 35 and the Sony WH-1000XM2. Overall, they should be able to deliver consistent bass and treble across multiple re-seats and users.

The Cowin E7 have a very good bass accuracy. They have great bass extension to produce a thumping sound, but the over-emphasis in the high-bass makes them sound a bit boomy.

The mid-range accuracy is mediocre. Low-mid is overemphasized, making vocals and lead instruments sound muddy and thick. The dip around 2kHz hurts the presence and projection of lead instruments.

The Cowin E7 have a bad treble accuracy. The overall response is rather inconsistent, which could result in an uneven treble. The lack of low-treble negatively impacts the presence and articulation of vocals and lead instruments. Mid-treble is also underemphasized, placing the overall treble tone and brightness just south of neutral.

The peaks and dips performance is mediocre. The huge dip in the high-mid and low-treble causes vocals and leads to sound distant, and the over-emphasis in the mid and high-treble can make the headphones sound piercing on some tracks.

The imaging is decent. The maximum weighted group delay of the Cowin is 0.21, which is pretty good. It can also be seen in the graph that the group delay is constantly below our audibility threshold. The rise in the group delay below 20Hz isn’t ideal, but shouldn’t be audible to most. Additionally, our test unit showed decent matching between the L/R drivers. This helps with accurate placement and localization of objects (like footsteps, voices, instruments) in the stereo image.

The soundstage of the Cowin E7 is poor. The PRTF response doesn’t quite follow our reference speaker’s in accuracy, size, or distance. Also, due to the closed-back design and active noise cancellation, their soundstage won’t feel as open and spacious as open-back headphones. The overall soundstage will be average in size, but mediocre in distance and accuracy, which may be perceived as unnatural and located inside the listener’s head.

There’s no virtual soundstage feature on the Cowin E7.

The weighted harmonic distortion of the Cowin E7 is decent. There’s slightly more distortion in the treble range when listening at moderate volume levels, but it shouldn’t be noticeable for most people.

We used the settings above to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when using these settings.

The noise isolation performance of these headphones is okay but not as good as some similar headsets we’ve tested like the Anker SoundCore Space NC. The active noise cancelling system achieves about 8dB of reduction in the Bass Range which is below average. This range is occupied by the rumble of airplane and bus engines. In the mid and treble ranges, mostly occupied by speech, these headphones isolate passively using their ear cups, achieving 13dB and 33dB of reduction in the nid and treble ranges respectively. Both values are within decent limits. However, these headphones are a bit on the noisy side, performing below average in our self-noise test. See our recommendations for the best noise cancelling headphones.

The leakage performance is decent. The significant portion of leakage sits between 300Hz and 3kHz which is a relatively broad range and it covers most of the mid-range. This results in a leakage that sounds fuller and more comprehensible than the leakage of in-ears and earbuds. However, the overall level of leakage isn’t too loud, so the leakage should not be an issue in most situations unless you blast music in a quiet environment.

The Cowin E7 have an integrated microphone.

The integrated microphone has a mediocre recording quality. Recorded speech sounds thin and muffled, but still comprehensible for the most part.

The noise handling of the mic is mediocre. In our noise handling test, it achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 11dB, which means these headphones will mostly be suitable for quiet environments and will struggle to separate speech from background noise even in moderately loud environments.

They have a long-lasting battery life but a long charge time. Although they do give you about 45 minutes of playback from a 10 minutes charge, you have to leave them plugged in for more than 3 hours to charge them fully, which isn’t ideal. On the upside, they can be used passively even while charging.

They don’t have a mobile companion app.

Update 12/09/2021: These headphones were updated to Test Bench 1.5 and their latency values have changed. Our previous Test Bench 1.4 measurements reported ‘PC Latency’ at 164 ms, ‘iOS Latency’ at 151 ms, and ‘Android Latency’ at 130 ms. However, our new test bench uses an average of three measurements instead of one, resulting in 131 ms of latency on PC, 54 ms on iOS, and 46 ms on Android. As a result, we have updated our text to better reflect test bench 1.5 measurements.

These headphones have good Bluetooth connectivity and support NFC for easy pairing with smartphones. Unfortunately, they can’t pair simultaneously with multiple devices but should be relatively easy to pair with one Bluetooth source. Overall, their latency on PCs as well as Android and iOS devices is also fairly low, so you shouldn’t notice delays between your audio and visuals. That said, if you’re looking to reduce audio latency further, check out the Audio-Technica ATH-M40x, which have a wired design.

The Best Bluetooth Wireless Headphones

After completing new testing, we’ve got three new picks: JBL Tour One M2 (top pick), 1 SonoFlow (budget pick), and Sony WH-1000XM5 (upgrade pick).

Earbuds are discreet and convenient to use, but if you want to get the best wireless sound for the money, choose over-ear Bluetooth headphones.

Although no single headphones set is a perfect match for everyone, the JBL Tour One M2 comes darn close. We love this pair’s customizable sound, stellar call clarity, and days-long battery life—plus it includes some bonus features usually reserved for pricier headphones.

How we picked and tested

Our audio experts test for detailed, lifelike sound and clear microphone quality for phone and video calls.

A well-designed pair should fit most head sizes, and the controls should be easy to use. We have a variety of people try out our top contenders.

Batteries should last at least eight to 10 hours and ideally have an analog cable for situations when you need to listen wired.

We pair contenders to several different devices and test wireless reliability indoors, outdoors, and at a distance.

The best Bluetooth wireless headphones

This versatile, over-ear pair sounds great, has a long battery life, and offers premium features at a lower price than its competitors. Some controls are a bit sensitive, though.

Buying Options

JBL’s Tour One M2 is a comfortable, feature-rich Bluetooth set that does most everything well. The sound is good right out of the box, and it can be further improved with the use of the EQ settings in JBL’s app. The battery life, rated at 30 to 50 hours, is excellent, and the battery recharges quickly.

Voice control is available via the always-listening Alexa and Google Assistant functions, and Apple users can access Siri via a simple button push. The M2 supports dual-device connectivity, and the built-in microphones reduce wind and background noise remarkably well, ensuring clear phone calls—even on the go. Plus, this pair is water-resistant (with an IPX5 rating), so your gear won’t be ruined by rainy-day splashes.

Flaws are minimal: Though we like the combination of touch-based and physical control buttons, the touchpad can be a bit over-sensitive. Also, the active noise cancellation (ANC) is good but not as effective as that of our favorite noise-cancelling headphones.

The best budget headphones around 100

This affordable pair sounds good, is comfortable to wear, and has an impressively long battery life. Unfortunately, the noise cancellation does not work in wired mode.

Buying Options

Use promo code YOUR1MORE

If you want a solid set of wireless headphones in the 100 range, we recommend the 1 SonoFlow. The sound is adjustable to your preference, and this set is lightweight, with foam earcups that are soft and comfortable.

The battery life of 50 to 70 hours is especially impressive for a pair at this price. The five microphones ensure that your voice sounds clear over calls, and the dual-device connectivity lets you swap audio between two devices without touching the Bluetooth settings.

The noise cancellation is effective, though not as superb as that of our pick for the best noise-cancelling headphones. However, the ANC does not work when you use the supplied cable. So if you’re using an audio device that requires a wired connection, you’ll either have to go without ANC or pick up a Bluetooth transmitter.

Great performance, with some effort

These headphones are well made and feature-packed, and they can sound wonderful. But to get them sounding their best, some setup effort is required.

Buying Options

If you’re willing to pay more to get a premium experience, the well-constructed Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are extremely comfortable, can sound great, and have a nice assortment of features that suit them for a variety of uses.

Out of the box, this pair’s sound quality is just okay. But if you put effort into adjusting the equalizer settings in Sony’s app, the WH-1000XM5 can sound better than our top pick and many other wireless competitors. The battery life is a solid 24 hours, and the combination of physical and touch-based controls works more intuitively on this pair than on our top pick, the JBL Tour One M2.

The XM5 set is particularly well suited for use in a loud office environment, since it passively blocks out human voices but has a natural-sounding awareness mode to let in sounds as needed. Plus, the speak-to-chat function will sense your voice, turn on the awareness mode, and pause your music automatically. And the built-in microphones are effective at reducing background noise during phone or video calls. The noise cancellation isn’t as effective as that of our top pick, and this set isn’t built for water resistance, though it can handle a light spritzing rain. Sony’s one-year limited warranty covers manufacturing defects but not water damage, so we don’t recommend that you take this pair to the gym or out for a stroll in a deluge.

The best-sounding wireless headphones

This pair provides the convenience of Bluetooth while still prioritizing sound quality. But these headphones lack features like noise cancellation and water resistance, so they aren’t ideal for commuters.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 399.

If your priority is to find wireless over-ear headphones that sound fantastic, the Edifier Stax Spirit S3 is for you. This pair is among the best-sounding under-500 headphones we’ve ever tested, including those in our guide to wired audiophile headphones.

This portable pair uses planar-magnetic drivers, which are capable of reproducing delicate detail and powerful bass notes. The S3 sounds amazing in both wired and wireless mode, largely due to the built-in headphone amplifier, which provides consistent driving power. Edifier includes two types of earpads (isolating pleather and cooling, breathable mesh), and the sound quality remains consistent when you swap between them.

Though this pair has to be powered on to work, the 80-hour battery life means you won’t need to charge frequently, and there’s a quick-charge feature when you do. The built-in microphones sound clear, even in a light breeze, and the dual-device connectivity works well, for easy transition between phone and laptop use.

Though this pair is portable, the lack of water resistance means you need to be careful when commuting in inclement weather, and you should choose a different pair for working out. Plus, this pair lacks active noise cancellation.

The best Bluetooth wireless headphones

This versatile, over-ear pair sounds great, has a long battery life, and offers premium features at a lower price than its competitors. Some controls are a bit sensitive, though.

The best budget headphones around 100

This affordable pair sounds good, is comfortable to wear, and has an impressively long battery life. Unfortunately, the noise cancellation does not work in wired mode.

Buying Options

Use promo code YOUR1MORE

Great performance, with some effort

These headphones are well made and feature-packed, and they can sound wonderful. But to get them sounding their best, some setup effort is required.

The best-sounding wireless headphones

This pair provides the convenience of Bluetooth while still prioritizing sound quality. But these headphones lack features like noise cancellation and water resistance, so they aren’t ideal for commuters.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 399.

Why you should trust us

I hold a bachelor’s degree in both music performance and audio production from Ithaca College, and my reviews of audio gear have been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, and Time, as well as on Good Morning America, the BBC World Service, and NBC Nightly News.

I also spent several years in terrestrial radio before becoming a professional voice actor in Los Angeles—so I’ve been in and out of recording studios for over a decade.

While working for Wirecutter, I’ve tested over 1,700 pairs of headphones. In addition to my own testing, at Wirecutter we seek input from a rotating roster of audio experts, including session musicians, a sound editor, and experienced AV reviewers.

Who this is for

Over-ear and on-ear Bluetooth headphones are excellent for anyone who wants the best wireless sound for the money and/or doesn’t like the feel of earbuds in their ears. Compared with similarly priced earbuds, this headphones style has more bass response and a better sense of three-dimensionality in the sound.

Going cordless does come at a price, though. You should expect to pay more for Bluetooth headphones, to get sound comparable to that from the best wired headphones.

Although many of the sets in this guide offer active noise cancellation, we prioritized sound quality, comfort, and ease of use in our evaluations for this guide. If noise cancellation is your top priority, check out our noise-cancelling headphones guide instead.

If you’re looking for a pair of over-ear headphones to use for work, and your tasks include a lot of video chatting, phone calls, or work with dictation software, you may want to consider an office headset with a boom mic. You can find wireless options—even a few that sound pretty good while playing music—in our guide to office headsets.

The Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Whether you prefer over-ear or in-ear noise-cancelling headphones, we have recommendations to help bring peace to your next trip.

The Best Audiophile Headphones for Everyday Use

Audiophile headphones FOCUS on delivering the best sound quality, period. We’ve tested hundreds of them and selected our favorites for specific uses.

How we picked and tested

For this guide, we’ve considered hundreds of headphone sets. To help us decide which ones are the best, we used the following criteria:

• Fantastic sound quality and a comfortable fit: Nobody likes subpar audio, and a poor fit can affect sound quality. Plus, if a set is uncomfortable to wear, you won’t use it.
• A minimum battery life of eight to 10 hours: Bluetooth headphones should last a full workday, at a minimum (the longer the better).
• Solid Bluetooth connection and microphone quality: You should be able to take calls without having a connection that stutters, and voices should be clear, not muffled.
• Easy-to-use controls: We dismissed any headphones with confusing or finicky controls that we found were easy to trigger accidentally.
• Decent noise cancellation, if offered: ANC wasn’t a top priority in this guide, but if you’re paying more to get it, it should at least be modestly effective.
• A good warranty and responsive customer support: This is the kind of thing that doesn’t seem important until you need it. A lifetime warranty means nothing if there’s no one you can call or email to get help.

To test over-ear headphones, our expert panelists first evaluate each pair’s sound, fit, and ease of use. The sets that perform well in those categories move on to round two, in which we test battery life, Bluetooth signal strength, and microphone quality. We evaluate call clarity in environments that are quiet, noisy, and windy.

Next, we tinker with the apps and any bonus features (like location services, voice activation, dual-device connection, and control customization). If applicable, we mist the headphones with water to see how moisture might impact the touch controls. We try each pair on with glasses and consider how head shape or hairstyles could affect the fit. And if the headphones have active noise cancellation that sounds subjectively effective, we measure it.

Finally, to suss out long-term listening comfort, as well as any potential flaws we may have missed in the initial testing, we spend time using each pair during daily activities for about a week.

A couple of notes: We do not prioritize specific Bluetooth formats, or codecs, and we explain why in this article. Though many over-ear headphones support dual-device connectivity, the manufacturers often say that computer connection is not supported. This is not entirely true, but here’s why they say it.

Bluetooth Headphones Don’t Always Play Nice With Computers. Here’s Why.

Bluetooth headphones should work reliably with most newer computers and laptops. If yours don’t, here are some possible reasons why.

Our pick: JBL Tour One M2

The best Bluetooth wireless headphones

This versatile, over-ear pair sounds great, has a long battery life, and offers premium features at a lower price than its competitors. Some controls are a bit sensitive, though.

Buying Options

The JBL Tour One M2 is a versatile and adaptable pair of Bluetooth headphones. This set sounds great, is comfortable to wear, and provides days-long battery life. Also, there’s an impressive array of customization options in the JBL app, so you can fine-tune the headphones to suit your needs.

Adjustable EQ ensures you’ll love the sound. Though the Tour One M2 set sounds pretty good right out of the box (just a bit bass-heavy), the JBL app’s nimble EQ interface makes it easy to tweak the frequency response to your liking. Alternatively, you can choose to use the app’s hearing-test-based EQ to adjust the sound to match your individual hearing needs. And if you’re concerned with protecting your hearing health, the app allows you to limit the volume to 85 decibels.

If you’re a fan of a broad soundstage (where the music has a real sense of space), you’ll love this pair. But overall, this set’s highs aren’t as delicate and crisp, and the upper bass isn’t as defined, as what you can get with our upgrade pick.

Phone calls sound great. The Tour One M2’s four-microphone array ensures that your voice will sound clear to others, and in our testing, we were impressed with how well the mics reduced wind noise and background sounds.

This set is light, comfortable to wear, and easy to use. The deep, oblong-shaped earcups are roomy enough to encircle your ears without squishing them, and the memory-foam-like earpads and headband padding make this pair pleasant to wear for extended periods. The headband’s moderate clamping force will hold the Tour One M2 in place on smaller heads, but it flexes enough to accommodate larger sizes without pinching.

The combination of physical buttons and a touch panel allows you to control playback, phone calls, volume, digital-assistant callup, and ANC/awareness mode toggling. Amazon and Android users can also opt to use a wake word to activate Alexa or Google Assistant.

A long battery life means less-frequent charging. JBL claims the battery life can be as high as 50 hours per charge or as low as 30, depending on how often you take calls and use noise cancellation. When we used them daily, we needed to charge batteries every other week or so.

If you do run out of juice, though, thanks to the Tour One M2’s quick-charge capabilities, you’ll get five hours of playback from just 10 minutes plugged in. You can maximize battery life by turning on the app’s auto-power-off option, which powers the headphones down when they’re idle.

The Tour One M2 has full controls, but the touchpad is sensitive, and the physical buttons are smaller than we’d like. Photo: Michael Hession

The Tour One M2’s carrying case protects this set well, but it’s bulkier than the Sony WH-1000XM5’s case. Photo: Michael Hession

The Tour One M2 has full controls, but the touchpad is sensitive, and the physical buttons are smaller than we’d like. Photo: Michael Hession

The adaptive noise cancellation effectively blocks distractions. Though this pair isn’t the absolute best we’ve tested when it comes to noise cancellation (see our ANC headphones guide to compare), it’s effective nonetheless. In our tests, when wearing this set, we were oblivious to knocks on the door and garbage trucks passing, and 75 dB plane cabin noise was greatly reduced. If you’re sensitive to eardrum suck, the JBL app provides a slider to adjust the ANC intensity.

When you want to hear what’s going on around you, JBL’s Ambient Aware setting mixes the outside world in with your music. For conversations, the TalkThru mode dips music volume and amplifies your surroundings—this can be accomplished via a button push or automatically when you speak.

The set’s dual-device capability lets you connect to two devices simultaneously, without having to fuss with Bluetooth settings.

And if anything goes awry, JBL covers the Tour One M2 with a one-year warranty.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The controls are more sensitive than we’d like. An unintended brush of the large touchpad on the right earcup caused our music to play and pause accidentally, which was annoying. We also wish the physical volume buttons were larger.

Likewise, we found the optional speak-to-enable TalkThru feature to be sensitive. Maybe I am just prone to sighing too loudly, but sniffs, sneezes, and throat clearing caused the awareness mode to turn on.

The auto ANC setting can bother sensitive ears. JBL has included an automatic ANC setting, which adjusts the noise-cancellation levels based on your surroundings or how much sound is leaking in (this is great for those who wear glasses). Unfortunately, we found the real-time changes to be disconcerting. This felt similar to ears popping when a plane lands, so we chose to turn off that feature.

Budget pick: 1 SonoFlow

The best budget headphones around 100

This affordable pair sounds good, is comfortable to wear, and has an impressively long battery life. Unfortunately, the noise cancellation does not work in wired mode.

Buying Options

Use promo code YOUR1MORE

If you want a solid pair of wireless headphones for around 100, we recommend the 1 SonoFlow because this pair sounds good, has a long battery life, and seems better made than most headphones for around the same price.

This set’s sound is quite good, from the initial power-up. We appreciate that the full bass re-creates low pitches, rather than the overtone or formless whomp we frequently hear from inexpensive headphones. Highs have clarity and crisp attack and decay, handling even delicate little sounds with ease. If you want to adjust the tuning, the 1 app offers presets and manual EQ capabilities to fine-tune the sound.

However, this pair lacks the sense of space you get with our top pick, and the tone of guitars and vocals sounds comparatively recessed, even after EQ adjustment.

This set is lightweight, comfortable, and durable. Though this pair is made primarily of plastic, its chassis doesn’t feel brittle or creaky, as those of many competitors in this price range do. The headband is secure but doesn’t pinch or squeeze painfully.

The soft earpads are filled with a squishy, memory-foam-like material that can mold around thinner eyeglasses frames, though folks who wear glasses that have thicker arms may notice more sound leakage.

Sadly the earpads aren’t replaceable—which is a bummer, since earpads are notoriously the first part of over-ear headphones to degrade. Be sure to keep your pair clean and out of direct sunlight or extreme temperatures. 1 includes a nice hard-sided carrying case, which should help protect your headphones a little longer.

The battery life—50 to 70 hours—is excellent. Long-haul flights and long days spent at a desk are no problem for this pair. And when the headphones do finally run out of battery power, the quick-charge feature provides five hours of runtime from just five minutes of charging.

We love the SonoFlow’s soft earpads and intuitive controls. But we wish the earpads were replaceable and that the buttons were larger and easier to feel. Photo: Michael Hession

The SonoFlow’s case protects this pair on the go, which is important because the earcups aren’t replaceable. Photo: Michael Hession

We love the SonoFlow’s soft earpads and intuitive controls. But we wish the earpads were replaceable and that the buttons were larger and easier to feel. Photo: Michael Hession

The SonoFlow set has physical control buttons. We hear from many readers who prefer physical buttons over touch-based ones, and the SonoFlow’s buttons offer the full complement of controls: track skip, volume, phone calls, digital-assistant callup, and ANC/hear-through functions.

The buttons were smaller than we’d like, though. This could be a drawback if dexterity is a concern.

The ANC is modestly effective but doesn’t work in wired mode. So if you’re on a plane and want to connect to an in-flight entertainment system that requires a cable, you need to either go without noise cancellation or get a Bluetooth transmitter.

A hear-through mode is available to allow for conversations. Although the sound of this mode isn’t natural enough to leave it on for the long term (in our tests, it overemphasized higher pitches like keyboard clicks and consonants), it’s still helpful for brief periods of situational awareness.

Five microphones do a good job of picking up your voice for phone calls. And the SonoFlow set offers dual-device connectivity, so you can pair it with two devices at once and easily switch between them. (You need to turn the feature on in the app; it’s located under the Experimental Features menu option.)

Lastly, the cable does not use a standard ⅛-inch jack; it uses a 1/16-inch connector, which means it will be trickier (though not impossible) to replace if you lose yours. 1 covers the SonoFlow with a one-year warranty.

Upgrade pick: Sony WH-1000XM5

Great performance, with some effort

These headphones are well made and feature-packed, and they can sound wonderful. But to get them sounding their best, some setup effort is required.

Buying Options

If you’re willing to pay more for a step up in both performance and comfort, consider the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones. They aren’t perfect out of the box, but those willing to do a bit of tinkering will be rewarded with some of the best-sounding wireless headphones available.

This set sounds amazing—with some help from EQ. Out of the box, this wasn’t our favorite-sounding pair. The boosted lower frequencies give the sound a clouded quality—like hearing a TV subwoofer from one room over. But by using the advanced EQ feature in Sony’s app, we could bring down the lows and boost the range at 1 and 2.5 kilohertz. Then it was as if the shroud had been lifted, and the XM5 rendered clear, delicate, detailed highs and deep bass notes with pitch, rather than just punch.

If you know going in that you’ll never touch the EQ settings, this isn’t the pair for you—our top pick sounds better right out of the box (though it, too, can benefit from some EQ adjustment). This means you’ll need to use a smartphone and download an app at least once to make adjustments and save your EQ profile to the headphones.

This pair is ultra-comfortable. We loved the lightweight build, soft memory-foam padding, and ergonomically shaped earcups. The XM5 has the perfect ratio of clamping force to earpad squish, for a fit that hugs your head rather than squeezing it. The earpads should accommodate all but the most thickly armed glasses, and the earpads are replaceable (but doing so is tricky, so keep the XM5 clean and in the included hard-sided case, to make the foam last as long as possible).

The XM5’s combination of physical and touch-based controls works a bit more effectively than on our top pick. We didn’t find the Sony controls to be overly sensitive to inadvertent bumps, humidity, or cold. The physical multifunction button on the left earcup can be customized to either toggle noise-cancellation modes or activate Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

The battery will last 24 hours or more per charge. Sony claims up to 38 hours, but in our real-world testing, we were able to eke out only 24 hours. That’s lower than for our other picks but still sufficient, especially when the quick-charge function provides three to five hours of use from a 10-minute charge.

The headphones will warn you when battery power is low, but when you’re given the warning, you should plug in your headphones. The percent is measured in increments of 10, so 10% battery life can mean anywhere from 1% to 10% is remaining. The XM5 also comes with an analog cable for corded listening, but it has no remote and mic.

The controls on the XM5 are intuitive, and this pair is lightweight, so it’s enjoyable to wear for hours. Photo: Michael Hession

Sony made the XM5 case thinner than its predecessor, yet it’s also longer. So it may be easier to slip the newer case into a backpack’s main compartment but tougher to squeeze into smaller front s. Photo: Michael Hession

The controls on the XM5 are intuitive, and this pair is lightweight, so it’s enjoyable to wear for hours. Photo: Michael Hession

The XM5 is especially great for office use. This pair blocks voices better than most noise-cancelling sets—and that can be very helpful in cafés and open-plan offices or when you’re working from a noisy home. You’ll also hear a dip in low-frequency hums, like noise from planes and air conditioners. But this pair isn’t as effective in this respect as our picks for the best noise-cancelling headphones. Plus, the ANC isn’t adjustable, so if you’re prone to eardrum suck, you may find the XM5’s noise cancellation to be uncomfortable.

The microphones pick up speech clearly and reduce background noise on calls. While testing, we noticed that the XM5 seemed to use internal sensors to detect when the wearer was speaking. So when we weren’t talking, callers weren’t subjected to wind or background noise. When we resumed speaking, callers could tell there was wind, but they were able to easily understand what we were saying. The reduction software somewhat compresses your vocal tone, but not so much that it becomes distracting.

The XM5 has a voice-activated hear-through mode; this can detect when you’re speaking, pause your music, and turn on the external microphones so you can hear your conversation partner clearly. When you stop talking, the hear-through mode turns off, and your music resumes. But if the feature isn’t to your liking, no worries; as with many of the XM5’s features, it can be turned off in the app.

The XM5 doesn’t have water resistance. This pair can handle a light spritzing rain, but it’s not IP-rated like our top pick. Sony offers a one-year limited warranty that covers manufacturing defects but not water damage.

The XM5’s predecessor, the WH-1000XM4, needs more EQ adjustment, but it’s also a great option if you can still find it, especially on sale.

Also great: Edifier Stax Spirit S3

The best-sounding wireless headphones

This pair provides the convenience of Bluetooth while still prioritizing sound quality. But these headphones lack features like noise cancellation and water resistance, so they aren’t ideal for commuters.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 399.

If sound quality supersedes all other factors, the Edifier Stax Spirit S3 is the first pair of wireless headphones we’ve tried that can compete sonically with the wired picks in our audiophile headphones guide. But this set lacks some features, such as noise cancellation and water resistance, that you’ll get with our other picks.

This pair’s sound competes with that of vastly pricier wired options. Listening to this pair is a delight. The planar-magnetic drivers and built-in amplifier ensure excellent sound, whether you’re streaming wirelessly or connected with a cable.

High frequencies sounded delicate, providing detail without excessive hiss or piercing. The low end also sounded fantastic. Bass notes had real pitch, as well as clear attack and decay. No matter how intensely the bass bumps on a track, you won’t lose other musical elements in a fog of smeared subwoofer bloat. You can read how its sound compares with that of other excellent wired options in our audiophile headphones guide.

Unlike most Bluetooth headphones, the Stax Spirit S3 sounds fantastic in wired or wireless mode. For many audio fans, being able to connect via a cable and get great sound is essential. Many older audio sources lack Bluetooth capabilities, and until Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless is widely adopted, you can’t listen to CD-quality music wirelessly. The Stax Spirit S3’s internal amplifier helps the set’s tuning stay consistent regardless of the connection method.

This pair is smaller and lighter than most audiophile sets, so you can wear it all day. Though the earcups extend farther out from the head than those of our other picks, the Stax Spirit S3 won’t look out of place at an office. This pair folds up into an included carrying case that’s compact enough to fit in a messenger bag. Also included is a fabric-wrapped 3.5-mm cable and a 3.5-mm-to-6.3-mm plug adapter.

You can easily swap between isolating pleather and “cooling” mesh earpads. The pleather pair blocks some external noise and is soft enough to smoosh around thinner glasses arms. The mesh pair allows in more air (and noise) and is made of a “cooling” material, which we found feels cooler in the same way mint is cooling. Whichever pads you prefer, the sound remains largely the same. Edifier cleverly designed EQ presets in the app that adjust the sound to suit the earpads’ distinct acoustic environments.

The 80-hour battery life is most impressive. It’s especially important because even though these headphones can work with a cable, they are not passive and must always be powered on to function. That’s a downside, as is this pair’s inability to play music while charging. But the quick-charge capabilities prevent this from being a dealbreaker, since a 10-minute charge will get you 11 hours of listening time.

The Stax Spirit S3 includes two sets of interchangeable earcups: One is a traditional leatherette set, and the other is mesh, with a cooling property that feels minty on the skin. Photo: Michael Hession

The Stax Spirit S3 includes two sets of interchangeable earcups: One is a traditional leatherette set, and the other is mesh, with a cooling property that feels minty on the skin. Photo: Michael Hession

The microphone quality is very good. Though the built-in microphone isn’t noise-reducing, it won’t be overloaded by a light wind, so you should be able to take calls while walking. A downside is that the microphone doesn’t function when you are connected to a device via cable. You’ll still hear your caller, but the job of capturing your voice will default to the internal mic of your device (phone, laptop, etc.).

The Stax Spirit S3’s dual-device connectivity works well for easy transition between phone and laptop use.

The app’s “hard sell” for the Edifier store is very annoying. Both the “mail” and “discover” tabs within the app lead to Edifier’s store, and escaping those sections isn’t intuitive. Rather than offering the universal X to close, there’s a small circle with a dot in it—at the top right of the app screen—that lets you exit the area. To avoid the hassle, we suggest that you stick to the “headphones” tab.

If anything goes wrong, the Stax Spirit S3 is covered by Edifier’s one-year warranty.

Other good over- and on-ear Bluetooth headphones

If you’re a committed Apple fan: The Apple Airpods Max is a very good pair of wireless headphones. This set sounds and looks great, pairs easily with Apple devices, and offers the best noise cancellation we’ve ever measured in the airplane Band of frequencies. These headphones would be tough competition if they were lighter and less expensive, and if the active noise cancellation were more adjustable to account for eardrum suck. The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are lighter and less expensive, have a longer battery life, and block more noise in the human vocal range (if that’s the type of noise isolation you desire). You can read our full writeup on Apple’s over-ear headphones in our guide to the best noise-cancelling headphones.

If you prefer an on-ear set: Because the Jabra Elite 45h offers price-defying sound quality, comfort, and call clarity, we were sad to hear it’s on the way out of production. This on-ear pair sounds better than sets that are several times the price, and using the Jabra app, you can adjust the sound to your preference. This pair is lightweight and has pillowy earpads, so it’s comfortable to wear for hours. The microphone’s intelligibility is stellar for phone and video chats, and this set offers 50-plus hours of listening time per charge. Though the Elite 45h isn’t IP-rated for water resistance, Jabra provides a two-year warranty against dust and water damage. This pair does not have noise cancelling, and there is no option for listening via a cord. But if you don’t need those features, and you can find a pair before they’re all gone, the Elite 45h headphones are a great deal.

If you want the best noise-cancelling headphones: The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is our favorite noise-cancelling set. These over-ear headphones are lightweight, have a long battery life and easy-to-use controls, and are compatible with Google, Apple, and Alexa voice assistants. Read all about them in our guide to noise-cancelling headphones.

If eco-friendly practices are important to you: House of Marley has a more environmentally minded approach than many other electronics companies. And the Positive Vibration XL ANC is a really lovely pair of Bluetooth headphones, as long as you don’t use the active noise cancellation. They fit comfortably, with a soft, padded headband and earcups. Unlike most new Bluetoooth headphones, this pair includes a cable with a single-button remote and microphone; so if the battery dies, the XL ANC is still functional and can take calls.

But the noise cancellation, though effective on very low frequencies, isn’t supported by good sound isolation, so folks who are affected by eardrum suck may find using the ANC to be uncomfortable. With the ANC off, the sound is fantastic—balanced and clear. Yet the ANC negatively impacts the sound: Bass notes sounded louder yet duller, as if someone had turned up a subwoofer and tossed a blanket over it.

If you’re looking for wireless headphones for watching TV: We recommend the Insignia NS-HAWHP2 because it uses radio frequency (RF) transmission rather than Bluetooth. You can read about this set in our guide to the best wireless TV headphones.

The competition

Over the years, we’ve tested hundreds of pairs of headphones for this guide, so we can’t include notes on every pair here. Below, we provide our thoughts on some of the most recently tested models. If there is a specific model you’re curious about that’s not listed, our full testing notes are available in this spreadsheet.

The Edifier W820NB Plus budget pair feels pretty well built for the price, with nice padding. For the price, they sound quite good, too. However, the ANC is very directional: If you turn your head, the cancellation struggles to keep up, often letting in more noise each time you move; this isn’t an issue with the 1 SonoFlow. And because this pair isn’t very isolating, it doesn’t muffle voices or higher-pitched sounds very well. We also wish the control buttons were larger.

If you are prone to eardrum suck, the Edifier WH950NB set will likely aggravate that condition. The ANC reduces a Band of low frequencies quite well, but the isolation isn’t effective, so the overall experience is a mixed bag. The sound is decent but not stellar, and the buttons are small and tricky to feel, especially if you have larger fingers.

The Jabra Elite 85h is our former top pick, and sadly it’s being phased out. This pair sounds fantastic out of the box, has decent ANC, and is more intuitive to set up and use than most competitors, thanks to the automatic Bluetooth pairing process and the large, easy-to-access controls. The battery life, rated at 36 hours, is ample, and the battery charges quickly. The Elite 85h headphones work with the Amazon, Apple, and Google digital assistants, and the microphone quality is super-clear for phone calls. This pair is also water-resistant and protected by a two-year warranty against damage from rain. If you can still find them for sale, they’re a great choice.

The Skullcandy Crusher ANC XT2’s bass boost ranges from “a bit much” to after-market car-subwoofer on full blast. Also, the noise cancellation is minimal. Whether you enjoy the haptic bass feedback is a matter of preference (we think it tickles). However, if having a balanced sound profile or decent ANC is your priority, this pair isn’t for you.

This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.